Beagles in a dog forest – safe off-leash freedom for a hunting dog
There was plenty of action at Someron Koirametsä on the first weekend of August, when beagles attending the Finnish Beagle Association’s summer event gathered for a shared forest outing. The summer event in Somero also celebrated the beagle’s 70-year history in Finland with a Match Show at Somerniemi Market Square.
Beagles have been in Finland for 70 years
The year 2026 marks a special anniversary for the beagle in Finland. The breed’s history in Finland is considered to have begun in 1956, when the first beagles arrived in the country. Over seven decades, the beagle has established its place as a hunting dog, companion and partner in a variety of activities.
The anniversary was celebrated in Somero throughout the weekend. On Saturday, beagle enthusiasts gathered at Someron Koirametsä. Fifteen beagles and more than twenty owners and enthusiasts came to the dog forest. Ahead of them were three hours of freedom, running, exploring the forest and, of course, spending time with fellow beagles.
On Sunday, a Match Show was held at Somerniemi Market Square, bringing together dogs of different breeds and dog enthusiasts of all ages.
The beagle is at home in the forest
The beagle was originally bred as a hunting hound, and in Finland the breed is still used particularly for hunting hare. It is an active and energetic dog, and the forest offers an endless variety of fascinating scents and things to explore.
A beagle’s hunting instincts are often evident in everyday life as well. When an interesting trail catches its nose, a recall command may not be quite as tempting as finding out where that trail leads. This is precisely why a securely fenced dog forest is particularly well suited to beagles.
Mariette Viljanen, organiser of the Finnish Beagle Association’s summer event, knows this well from everyday life with her own dog, Showli:
“I visit dog forests a couple of times a month because you can’t really let a beagle off leash anywhere other than in fenced areas – it is a hunting dog, after all!”
A dog forest offers a beagle more than just exercise
For a beagle, a dog forest is not simply a place where it can run faster and farther than it could on a leash. The forest itself offers an enormous amount to explore.
Someron Koirametsä is 2.5 hectares of real forest. For a dog, the forest is filled with different scents and trails that humans do not even notice.
For a dog like the beagle, which actively uses its keen sense of smell, exploring its surroundings is a natural activity. Off leash, the dog can also choose its own pace: one moment it can run with its friends, and the next it can stop for as long as it likes to investigate a particularly interesting scent.
There is therefore no need to constantly come up with activities for your dog in a dog forest. The forest itself does much of the work.
Fifteen beagles in the same forest
The beagle is a pack hound, so at the August gathering it was particularly fun to see an entire group of beagles moving through the same forest. There were plenty of different personalities among the fifteen dogs, but the afternoon went smoothly. According to Mariette, there was one thing in particular that made everyone happy:
“We were all pleased that there weren’t even any fights – the beagle is a pack hound, after all.”
A large fenced area also gives dogs the opportunity to put some distance between themselves when they want to. Someron Koirametsä is therefore well suited to breed meet-ups, litter reunions and playdates between dogs that already know each other. The entire forest is always reserved exclusively for your own group, so there are no unfamiliar dogs in the area at the same time.
The summer afternoon passed quickly as the dogs ran through the forest and the beagle enthusiasts caught up with one another. There was also time for the humans to sit down by the shelter and grill sausages.
It was particularly nice to hear afterwards how well the location had suited the group. According to Mariette, many of the participants had visited other dog forests before, so they had plenty to compare it with.
“Many of the owners thought Someron Koirametsä was the best dog forest they had ever visited. Many people from our group will definitely be coming back to the excellent Someron Koirametsä.”
It is hard to ask for better feedback than that.
Visiting a dog forest with a beagle perfectly illustrates why Someron Koirametsä was established in the first place. Not every dog can safely be allowed off leash in an ordinary forest. In a fenced area, even a dog with a strong hunting instinct can enjoy some time without a leash – running, using its nose and simply enjoying the forest as a dog should.
Photos: Satu Vallenius
